Bobby the Lip, a scheming, down-on-his-luck sports promoter, intends to score big by setting upand xinga bout between a big-time heavyweight and a young black contender. But everyone wants a piece of the action, and the Lip nds himself having to outsmart a hungry little crowd of crooks, bookies, detectives, and mob goons. High bets knock the odds in the air as both the police and the mob begin to close in on the Lip, smelling the x and a prot. And just before the big night, a couple of dead bodies turn up, threatening to upset the big plan. Thick with period color and detail, Monroes well-received debut novel brings a city and its dark underside to thrilling life, illuminating an era.
